In the midst of a fierce legal battle with Java creator Sun Microsystems, Microsoft is inviting key software developers to Redmond early next month to hear the company's spin on the language's future.
Microsoft plans to tell attendees - Java developers, user group leaders, authors, independent software vendors, and others - how Sun's prized technology fits into the Microsoft platform and the overall computing infrastructure. Sun officials were not on the list for the invitation-only, all-expenses-paid event that will include developer workshops and other meetings on topics surrounding the Java technology.
"It's really a two-day briefing for Microsoft to get out in front of influential people and give our side of the story directly to these people," said Mike Werner, manager of Microsoft's developer relations group. "There has been a lot of FUD [fear, uncertainty, and doubt] in the press and newsgroups - it's not a response to anything other than we want a face-to-face interaction. If it's timed around the lawsuit or anything else, it's merely coincidental."
In itself, the conference is not remarkable: Microsoft spends more time and money than anyone in the industry on developer relations. But the meeting is notable in the context of the company's multifront battle with Sun.
Last month, Sun sued Microsoft in federal court alleging that Microsoft's implementation of Java in Internet Explorer 4.0 violated its licensing agreement. Microsoft has countersued. Beyond the legal arena, Microsoft has waged a so-far unsuccessful battle to block Sun's effort to become an officially recognized global standard submitter for Java. And the two companies have launched global lobbying blitzes promoting their stands on the language's future.
